THE 12 DS: AN UPDATE TO EDWARDS’ AND RAY’S REASONS FOR NONPARENTAL CAREGIVING

Abstract This study examined the prevalence of the “Nine D’s,” a framework developed by Edwards and Ray for understanding the heterogeneity of reasons for which grandparents assume care of grandchildren (i.e., Death, Disease, Detention, Divorce, Departure, Drugs, Desertion, Delivery, Deployment) within a contemporary sample. Using a nationwide sample (N = 427) of custodial grandparents and foster parents, caregivers were asked their reason for assuming care of the grandchild or foster child within their care. The results of the study suggest that the Nine D’s are a useful framework, but fail to capture many of the reasons for assuming care. Three new themes—Dollars, Duty, and Daily Grind—were identified and are applicable to both grandfamilies and foster families. These themes represent different motivations for assuming care and provide insight into the social structures which may act as barriers to family formation. This study provides a foundation for future research examining the impact of assumed care by non-parental attachment figures on the health and well-being of both grandchildren and foster children.


SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING AND CUSTODIAL GRANDFAMILIES: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIPS
Megan Dolbin-MacNab 1 , Gregory Smith 2 , Frank Infurna 3 , Britney Webster 4 , Saul Castro 3 , D. Max Crowley 5 , and Carol Musil 6 , 1. Virignia Tech,Blacksburg,Virginia,United States,2. Kent State University,Kent,Ohio,United States,3. Arizona State University,Tempe,Arizona,United States,4. Diebold Nixdorf,Louisville,Ohio,United States,5. Pennsylvania State University,State College,Pennsylvania,United States,6. Case Western Reserve University,Cleveland,Ohio,United States Custodial grandfamilies often experience relational challenges related to parenting and the grandparent-grandchild relationship that would benefit from intervention.Social intelligence training (SIT), which focuses on improving socio-emotional skills via online, self-guided modules, holds promise for helping grandfamilies address their relational challenges.The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine SIT skills that custodial grandmothers and grandchildren utilize in their interactions and the impact of SIT on their relationship.The sample consisted of 27 dyads of custodial grandmothers and adolescent (ages 11 to 18) grandchildren enrolled in an RCT examining the effectiveness of SIT.Dyads who completed the SIT were randomly selected and completed individual, open-ended interviews over the telephone, after post-test but prior to the 3-month follow-up.Results of a thematic analysis revealed several themes related to the SIT skills grandmothers and grandchildren were utilizing including taking and understanding the other's perspective, attending to the nonverbal communication, engaging in active listening, reflecting on their treatment of each other, and slowing down communication to think before speaking.Analyses further revealed that grandmothers and grandchildren noted SIT-related improvements in their relationship, with themes reflecting improvements in the quality of communication, the frequency and intensity of conflict, understanding of each other, and sense of emotional connectedness.Those dyads that did not report relational improvements had a strong relationship prior to completing the SIT or the grandchild did not fully engage in the SIT.Directions for research and family-based interventions with grandfamilies will be discussed.[Funded by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG054571)] Abstract citation ID: igad104.3070

THE 12 DS: AN UPDATE TO EDWARDS' AND RAY'S REASONS FOR NONPARENTAL CAREGIVING Acacia Lopez, and Danielle Nadorff, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States
This study examined the prevalence of the "Nine D's," a framework developed by Edwards and Ray for understanding the heterogeneity of reasons for which grandparents assume care of grandchildren (i.e., Death, Disease, Detention, Divorce, Departure, Drugs, Desertion, Delivery, Deployment) within a contemporary sample.Using a nationwide sample (N = 427) of custodial grandparents and foster parents, caregivers were asked their reason for assuming care of the grandchild or foster child within their care.The results of the study suggest that the Nine D's are a useful framework, but fail to capture many of the reasons for assuming care.Three new themes-Dollars, Duty, and Daily Grindwere identified and are applicable to both grandfamilies and foster families.These themes represent different motivations for assuming care and provide insight into the social structures which may act as barriers to family formation.This study provides a foundation for future research examining the impact of assumed care by non-parental attachment figures on the health and well-being of both grandchildren and foster children.

THE EFFECTS OF GRANDPARENTAL CARE ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG CHINESE GRANDPARENTS: A LIFE COURSE PERSPECTIVE Jiahui Lyu, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States
As the population continues to age, grandparental care has become a more prevalent form of childcare, particularly in China.Limited research has investigated the effects of grandparental care on grandparents' mental health and the conclusions are ambiguous with both positive and negative outcomes being found.In this study, a life course perspective is adopted to examine the mechanisms of such effects.Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2013), I conducted logistic regression models to examine the association between various stages of grandparental care and depressive symptoms among Chinese grandparents between the ages of 45 and 80 (N = 3946).Specifically, this study examines the impact of transitions into or out of grandparental care on depression and the potential moderating role of gender.Results show that grandparents who stop providing care for grandchildren are less likely to experience depression compared to those who provide no grandparental care (OR = 0.78).Additionally, grandmothers who provide ongoing grandparenting tend to have a higher risk of experiencing depression.The findings presented in this study offer valuable insights into the various mental health implications of grandparental care in the Chinese context, underscoring the significance of accounting for gender differences.This study also highlights the need for evidence-based policies and interventions that promote the well-being of older adults.

THE GEOGRAPHY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING IN AN AGING SOCIETY: WHO MOVES CLOSER AND WHY
Stipica Mudrazija 1 , Elizabeth Peters 2 , and Fernando Hernandez Lepe 2 , 1. University of Washington,Seattle,Washington,United States,2. Urban Institute,Washington,District of Columbia,United States An emerging literature examines the dynamic aspect of the link between parental health and parents-adult children geographic distance, yet who moves when a parent needs care-the parent or the child-and why remains unexplored.Using pooled 2004-2014 data from the Health and Retirement Study on respondents age 65 years or older and their adult children and detailed geographic information, we analyze who moves when parents and children move in together or move closer without coresiding, and who benefits from such moves.Preliminary results reveal that children are roughly four times more likely to move in with parents than parents move in with children, and moving primarily benefits those who move: 89.2 percent of parents who moved reported that either they were the sole beneficiary of the move or that both they and their children benefited, and the same was true of 92.8 percent of children movers.However, as parents' health declines, they increasingly benefit from the proximity-enhancing moves regardless of who moves.For example, about half of all children who move in with parents following the onset of parents' health decline reports doing was to benefit their parents, either exclusively of in conjunction with them.Next, we will fit regression models of who moves for newly coresident dyads and dyads moving closer, respectively, as well as models of who benefited from such moves.This research provides new policy-relevant insights because the caregiver supports needed could be different depending on whether it was the parent or the child that moved.The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic intensified the stressful and already difficult circumstances of communities of color.Yet, no current photovoice research has highlighted the lived experiences of low-income Black, Indigenous, and persons of color (BIPOC) older adults during the pandemic.This qualitative study used photovoice to visually portray the struggles of low-income BIPOC older adults and how they recovered from and adapted to the impact of the pandemic.The data analyzed were drawn from interviews, focus groups, photographs, and written stories exploring their experiences and how they found meaning.Results show that participants faced different challenges during the pandemic, such as the fear of COVID-19 exposure and death, struggles to adopt COVID-19 mitigation strategies, loneliness, and social isolation.Amid this crisis of suffering, isolation, and sadness, participants found meaning through a positive reappraisal of the negative situation and engaging in emotional, spiritual, social, and physical self-care practices.The findings have implications for clinical social workers, mental health counselors, faith communities, nurse managers and administrators, and policymakers.

EXAMINING INEQUITIES AND INEQUALITIES IN AGING
Abstract citation ID: igad104.3074

ARE INEQUALITIES IN HEART DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY INTERGENERATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT?
St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States